★★

“has some interesting ideas but currently falls short on delivery”

The Great Gatsby is a tale of the hollowness of Jazz Age America. Unfortunately, the wrong kind of hollowness comes through in this outdoor musical adaptation despite the cast’s best efforts.

Staged in the expansive OVO Roman Theatre, this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel is reimagined as a cabaret show in the ‘Green Light Club’. With cabaret performers Texas, Gus, Belle and Helen narrating and performing, expect a slightly different version of events as Gatsby’s blind determination to reclaim his lost love, Daisy, is met with fatal consequences.

Adapted and produced by Mark O’Sullivan, the writing shines brightest when it sticks to the source material. Otherwise, several narrative choices hamper rather than enhance the storytelling. The cabaret setting doesn’t land: it isn’t always clear when the new characters are narrating versus performing, and having them narrate instead of Nick (even though he’s in the room) removes his much-needed critique. I know it’s a cabaret but why is a magician telling Gatsby’s backstory? Why does the explosive climax start out as a silent movie? This. plus moving key moments around, such as Daisy’s devastating hopes for her daughter, completely change the tone and lessen their emotional impact. Some of the writing even feels a little clumsy, such as Jordan asking Nick to lunch while standing over a dead body, an overly blunt expression of coolness. The result is a rather confusing mishmash of story beats which doesn’t quite do the iconic plot justice.

Kelly Ann Stewart’s direction brings out some strong performances but also has its flaws. For example, the blocking needs work, obscuring the words to the all-important silent movie. Just before Gatsby meets his fate, he walks into Wilson’s garage which hasn’t existed in Gatsby’s world until now. Ryan Munroe’s simple choreography could be more sharply executed, leaving the cabaret scenes feeling a little lacklustre. Perhaps the most confusing moment in the piece comes when Nathan French, playing both Gatsby and Wilson, has to quick change between the two, necessitating a drawn-out cover by an excessively slow-moving bullet (clearly drawn from Hamilton by the way) during what should be the dramatic climax.

Musical Director and pianist Andrew McCormack tries to bring out the roaring twenties but the choice and locations of several songs interrupt the flow. Some feel jarring and undo the emotional tension, such as Gatsby bursting into ‘I Got Rhythm’, the cast singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Nick, and ‘This Little Light of Mine’ opening Act 2. In fact, only one song adds to the plot, a drunken, mournful song from a female reveller during one of Gatsby’s parties.

The costumes (Ciéranne Kennedy-Bell and Thea Peacock) sometimes obscure where we are and lack cohesion, especially in the club scenes. Hannah Stanley’s sound is well designed but not always well executed, missing several mic cues. Caitlin MacGregor’s lighting creates some very dramatic moments but could separate the club from the main story more effectively. Simon Nicholas’ set design effectively creates different spaces, my favourite being Dr Eckleburg’s otherworldly eyes glowing in the distance.

The cast’s acting is this production’s saving grace. French skilfully contrasts Gatsby’s superficial coolness against Wilson’s crudeness and even manages to subtly let Gatsby’s mask slip. Rochelle Jack brings out a full spectrum of emotions in her stripped-down Myrtle, with a rich singing voice to boot. Jonathan Tynan-Moss’ Nick is perfectly naive and knowing, delivering a moving performance. Though the standout is Jessica Vickers’ Daisy, a mesmerising kaleidoscope of honest and affected emotions with an impressive singing voice to match.

Overall, this production has some interesting ideas but currently falls short on delivery. Future versions would benefit from refocusing the cabaret more clearly around the plot and considering the choice and timing of musical numbers to keep building the emotional pressure. These adjustments would help this capable cast shine as brightly as that elusive green light.

THE THREEPENNY OPERA at the Cockpit Theatre

★★★

“A promising opening, that isn’t quite sustained throughout.”

We walk into the ‘Factory of Plays’. A kind of warped bandstand sits centre stage, with mannequin torsos circling it; grotesque and absurdist, some attached to rope like an umbilical cord. Or a hangman’s noose. The front rows of the auditorium are littered with musical instruments. An accordion, trombone, trumpet, cello, clarinet. A banjo here, a Hawaiian guitar there. The space feels abandoned as though some frenetic activity has been interrupted. The truncated figures, like a troupe of mute Frankenstein’s creatures, waiting to be brought back to life. Enter two inventors, in white lab coats, followed by a cast of actor musicians in high-vis jackets.

This is the premise behind the OVO Theatre’s interpretation of the Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill ‘play with music’. Translated by Robert David MacDonald (dialogue) and Jeremy Sams (lyrics), it adopts many ‘Brechtian’ characteristics. There is no fourth wall whatsoever here as we witness the action being created in front of us. Characters step out of the narrative to talk to us. A phone is borrowed, a beer bottle grabbed and swigged from (oh, how far we have thankfully moved on from the specious sensitivities of the pandemic), scenes are interrupted by metallic tones and bizarre announcements. We are never quite sure where we are. There is something Orwellian. Dystopian. Yet grounded in present day politics. A Clockwork Orange meets Boys from the Blackstuff. A promising opening, that isn’t quite sustained throughout.

Macheath appears, chimera-like from within a cage to the strains of his signature tune. It is uncertain whether he is being created or born. He emerges savvy and streetwise, but with a menace that is too soft at the edges. Peter Watts is clearly enjoying the role, initially channelling Harold Steptoe but then allowing his natural charisma steers him into more dangerous territory. However, the sense of true danger is never quite realised in Adam Nichols’ staging. He allows the slapstick to overshadow nuance.

“Musically it is spot on”

Mark Carlisle’s Peachum has a gravitas as Macheath’s nemesis, aided by Annette Yeo’s feisty Mrs Peachum. Their tentative hold over the beggars of London is challenged when their daughter Polly (Emily Panes) marries Macheath. Panes dresses Polly in innocence – a veil that is easily torn by Macheath’s unscrupulous womanising, allowing her to reveal the dormant steeliness. Panes has one of the stronger singing voices. Although the cast comprises an all singing, all playing company, they don’t always meet the musical challenges. Harmonies and tuning are further loosened by conductor Lada Valešová constantly ducking and diving, like an itinerant beggar, around the playing space. Song introductions suffer from a slight delay while she locates the various musicians, and vice versa. This stop-start stodginess permeates much of the first act, and it is only after interval that the flow finds its true course.

Musically it is spot on, avoiding the pitfalls of some modern interpretations of jollifying the compositions. And Brecht’s intentions are duly honoured. The absurdity is in plain sight and the surrealism defies theatrical convention. But rather than neatly slotting into the narrative, frustratingly some choices are just a touch too bizarre and random, and we disengage as our understanding gets muddied. Nearly a hundred years ago when it opened in Berlin, the work was a radical critique of the capitalist world. It is indeed just as relevant today, and doesn’t necessarily need modern anachronisms, especially ones as clumsy as slipping in references to William and Kate into the libretto, or offhand allusions to Boris Johnson. The themes are more universal than that and Brecht and Weill deserve more respect.

What cannot be avoided is the original disjointed ending, which this production does manage to pull off cohesively and with an emotional commitment that makes sense of the satire. This is largely due to Watts’ performance, his rendition of ‘Call from the Grave’ one of the highlights. Society hasn’t really changed much since “The Threepenny Opera” first premiered. The moral messages are just as raw. OVO’s interpretation retains that rawness – and the genuine grit, even if it doesn’t always grip.

Tag Archives: Elliott Franks

THE GREAT GATSBY

★★

OVO at the Roman Theatre

THE GREAT GATSBY

OVO at the Roman Theatre

★★

“has some interesting ideas but currently falls short on delivery”

THE GREAT GATSBY

OVO at the Roman Theatre

Reviewed on 11th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Elliott Franks

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ROMEO AND JULIET | ★★★ | June 2023

THE GREAT GATSBY

THE GREAT GATSBY

THE GREAT GATSBY

The Threepenny Opera

★★★

Cockpit Theatre

THE THREEPENNY OPERA at the Cockpit Theatre

★★★

“A promising opening, that isn’t quite sustained throughout.”

“Musically it is spot on”